Finding Duct Leaks

How To Use Heat Pumps To Augment Your Heating And Cooling System

Many people are in the market for a system that can increase their energy efficiency at home, especially when it comes to heating and cooling. With energy prices inching upwards, many people have become concerned about the long-term affordability of traditional domestic heating solutions.

The use of heat pumps has emerged as one of the solutions that people can take advantage of, and it comes with many benefits. However, heat pumps may not be a completely viable solution on their own.

How do Heat Pumps Work?

A heat pump takes the heat from the air or ground outside and transfers it into your home. Simply put, heat pumps are like reverse refrigerators. Instead of taking heat away from an enclosed space, they use a similar system to bring heat into an enclosed space.

There are two types of heat pumps that you can use in your home. These are:

Air source heat pumps

Ground-source heat pumps

An air source heat pump draws heat from the air outside. Ground source heat pumps are also known as geothermal heat pumps. These systems draw heat from the ground outside.

How Can Heat Pumps Augment your HVAC System?

There are two ways that a heat pump can augment your HVAC system. If you're using an air source heat pump, it can be paired with a gas furnace. This may be necessary since heat pumps aren't very effective when the temperatures get too low. This is when the gas furnace can kick in. However, when the temperatures are low but not below freezing, the heat pump will be the primary source of heating.

In the summer, the air source heat pump can be reversed so that it takes heat away from the house instead.

Ground source heat pumps get their heat from parts of the ground where temperatures remain relatively constant even during the cold season. This means they can be used even when temperatures get really cold.

Getting the Most from You Heat Pump

Using a heat pump isn't as easy as using some other heating solutions. To get the most out of your heat pump, it's important to bring in heating and cooling contractors to assess the heating needs of your house and whether the site is a good choice for a heat pump. When your heat pump isn't properly sized to meet your needs, it won't be able to properly cool your home.

About Me

When I started noticing that our furnace wasn't working quite right, I immediately blamed it on my system. I thought that it simply wasn't producing warm air, so I hired a professional to come out and check the system. However, as soon as he started inspecting things, he noticed several large leaks between junction points and around corners. He mentioned that if there were leaks in the lines, the heated air wouldn't be able to travel to the right room. He went through my entire home and repaired the ducts, and you wouldn't believe the difference it made. Check out this blog to learn more about finding duct leaks.